Sedans are such an unique vehicle category because they’ve managed to be omnipresent in both time and “space”. The first case comes from the fact that this was one of the very first names used to tell a particular type of car from the others, in the early days of this industry. After that, the only way for them to survive was adapting to the moment: from being exclusively luxury models until the 1950s, they’ve spawned family-friendly variations, got even fancier through limousines, and later found other ways to success by both sporty and low-cost branches – some became more popular in some countries than the others. And even though they were the starting point for the coupés, both traditional and four-door breeds, the market was still able to give each one its room without too much mutual interference.
Going to the other case means remembering that, in nowadays, this is the only car category which you can find at literally every price range available (from a Saipa Saba to a Rolls-Royce Phantom, you won’t find an exception, it’s amazing). This fact is so important because it means the variety of sedans you can find all around the world is simply enormous – much bigger than crossovers’, if you were wondering. One of the countries with the biggest demands for these cars is China, and this is what makes 408’s first and second generations having been released there everything but a coincidence. Even though Peugeot’s plan of refining its image is hard to achieve, it gets much easier if you act smartly. Giving more steps like this in the next few years is a great meaning of that.
Given that it’s always been based on 308, this sedan deserves the “step up” of using the number four much more now than before. The new 408 shares even fewer exterior parts with the hatchback, and this is what makes it look this attractive. The front logotype was taken from the hood to the upper grille, and sits below the company name. Using the air intakes in smooth shapes makes a great contrast with the feline idea brought by agressively-shaped lights – which bring LEDs and chrome inserts up and down. The same proportion of sobriety and sportiness can be found at the sides: there are exclusive rear doors in order to suit both the space and design requirements of a large-sized sedan, but dropping the third window (and using what BMW calls “Hofmeister kink”) is a clear signal of the other intentions.
If you were resisting to agree that it’s a shame that Peugeot showed so few pictures, 408’s rear will probably do the trick. The claw-shaped lights appear once again, but in a much wider interpretation which only makes this car more elegant. The bumper seems as high as discreet, but this is actually good because it prevents this section to look heavy. And what could be better suited for a modern and sporty (-ish, until an R version appears) sedan than dropping the old-fashioned chrome bar above the license plate? The new 408 represents an impressive evolution from its own previous generation and, specially, from the equally Chinese 307 Sedan. Some could even say that this is 407’s true “spiritual successor”, when it comes to the overall design.
There aren’t any interior pictures officially released yet, but 408’s debut at this year’s Beijing Auto Show proved true the rumors of sharing 308’s elements. In other words, the sedan’s larger room was paired to the hatchback’s futuristic dashboard: the steering wheel is smaller and the instrument cluster sits higher, while the center stack concentrates most controls at infotainment system’s touchscreen – only the climate controls kept using buttons. 408 is the newest user of PSA’s EMP2 platform, which means there will be many construction improvements. If you have been thinking that it seems much bigger than the outgoing vehicle, both the 4.75-m length, the 1.82-m width and the 2.73-m wheelbase converge to proving you right. But they actually have a second raison d’être.
Having so many automakers fighting for so many customers usually results on the Chinese market having some car segments subdivided. The new 408 became bigger not only to suit Peugeot’s intention of becoming fancier, but also to compete in the “upper branch” of the mid-size sedans, against names such as Honda Crider, Hyundai Mistra and the upcoming Ford Escort and Kia K4 – and, therefore, making room at the lower step to a new China-only 308 Sedan in the next few years. And when it comes to South America and some European countries, 408’s bigger size can always work as a nice sales argument. In China, this sedan will be produced by the Dongfeng-PSA joint-venture, using a 117-hp 1.6L, a 140-hp 1.8L and a 163-hp turbocharged 1.6L.